A panel of US journalists engaged in a heated debate on billionaire CEOs and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s “Tax the Rich” proposal, which aims to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans. The discussion, featuring prominent columnists and podcasters, quickly gained widespread attention online, largely due to references to high-profile figures such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Mayor Mamdani.

US journalist goes to bat for billionaire Elon Musk

Firmly taking a defensive stance for the richest person in the world, Elon Musk (current net worth $815.6 billion – Forbes), The New York Post writer Lydia Moynihan hit out against CNN’s ‘Table for Five’ hosts. The Post columnist especially put her foot down by sticking it out with Musk and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, declaring they deserve every penny of their billions.

YouTuber Leigh McGowan, on the other hand, was left flabbergasted by Moynihan’s statements. “Absolutely not! This is the most ludicrous statement you have ever made,” she fumed, snapping back. “I don’t know why you’re shilling for these people. It’s nuts.

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Eventually, taking the debate to her social media handle, Moynihan reiterated online, “Elon Musk deserves every single penny he has made. And I hope he becomes the world’s first trillionaire.”

She continued on X, “He’s using his wealth to help blind people see and paralysed people walk. I’d rather that money stay in his hands than go to Elizabeth Warren, who’d likely see it wasted on fraud in Somalia or some other government boondoggle.”

Making her case for Musk and other billionaires, who she insinuated had helped make capitalism “worth celebrating,” Moynihan added, “Yes, he has a massive slice of the pie — but he’s made the entire pie dramatically bigger for everyone on Earth. That’s why we enjoy a higher quality of life than any civilisation in human history.”

Billionaires vs ‘Tax the Rich’ debate

Joined by ‘PoliticsGirl’ podcast host Leigh McGowan, Moynihan maintained the same argument during her verbal tussle on CNN’s ‘Table for Five.’ The discussion all started after a viral video of Vornado Realty Trust CEO Steve Roth drawing parallels between Mamdani’s “tax the rich” agenda and “disgusting racial slurs” was shown during the CNN segment.

Roth likened the NYC mayor’s quote to hate speech during an earnings call after Mamdani filmed a video outside the house of Ken Griffin, who is also a billionaire.

The clip shared on X was captioned “Happy Tax Day, New York. We’re taxing the rich,” and featured Mamdani highlighting New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal, which targets luxury second homes in New York City valued at $5 million or more. Hochul’s office had previously announced that the proposal was expected to generate at least $500 million a year in recurring revenue for NYC.

One would wonder why Roth took issue with Mamdani bringing up such a matter in front of Griffin’s penthouse. It was because the luxury residence was in a building built by his company, Vornado.

The video got the CNN panel talking about the comparison. While YouTuber Leigh McGowan challenged Roth’s claims, Moynihan stood her ground about Musk and Bezos. Their argument soon escalated as Musk’s neurotechnology company, Neuralink, was dragged into the conversation.

At one point, McGowan underscored there was no denying that Musk’s success and billions-worth net worth also had to do with his connection to the US government, especially under Donald Trump’s administration.

Rise in anti-billionaire sentiment

The prevailing explosive debate, as seen on the recent CNN panel, reflects how Americans are increasingly feeling wary of billionaires’ expanding net worth. According to a 20254 poll by The Harris Poll Thought Leadership Practice, 59% of Americans believe that billionaires are responsible for creating an unfair society.

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The same survey showed at the time that more than half of American respondents (58%) blamed billionaires for surging inflation. About 62% agreed that “America had become a backyard” for rich people, and 69% suggested taxing the rich. Despite the negatives, the poll showed 61% believing that billionaires are good for the economy and society (62%) as well.

A subsequent 2025 survey by The Harris Poll found that the number of people claiming they “despite billionaires” (47%) had gone up 8% from the previous year. The increasing anti-billionaire sentiment climbed greater heights in the lead-up to this year’s Met Gala, which was the first time a tech billionaire--Jeff Bezos (and his partner Lauren Sanchez)– was named an honorary chair.

According to social intelligence firm PeakMetrics, social media posts related to the 2026 Met Gala and the billionaire couple sowed 70% unfavourable sentiment and 6% favourable sentiment. On top of that, tens of thousands of posts on X called for a boycott of the event due to Bezos’ involvement.

On the flip side, a group of Amazon workers organised a fashion show called the “Ball Without Billionaires” that same day as a counter-alternative to protest the Bezos-led Met Gala. Numerous protesters also joined the scene, bringing signs that spoke their anti-billionaire thoughts for them, spelling out things like “tax the rich.”